In Any Other World
by Kika101
Summary: Jace Herondale is looking for a change of scenery to help him forget his old life, however he may not be prepared for just how much his life is going to change, especially once he meets the Lightwood family, and in particular their eldest son, Alexander Lightwood. High school AU. Includes multiple pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N** I've wanted to try out a high school AU fic for a while now, however I have always found that after a while they all become too similar, so that's why I've decided to go with a slightly different pairing. Overall this will be a Jalec fic, however there will be other pairings as well. I like the idea of Jalec, aside from the obvious creepiness of them being brothers (seriously, why is there so much incest in TMI?), so here's a fic where they are in NO WAY related. Thank you for reading, and please review, as these really do help me a lot with my writing. Also, because I always forget, I own nothing but the plot.

Jace stared up at the daunting front doors of the Alicante High School, and tugged at his uniform anxiously. He wasn't usually the type to get nervous, but he was about to start at a new, and very exclusive, school, and for the first time Jace was living completely on his own. Jace had been left alone before, but in the past his foster family had provided him with the care he had needed, but now he wanted to try and make his own way in the world, and his inheritance left him with plenty of money to do so.

A shrill bell rang out through the corridors of the school, and even from where Jace stood outside the actual school building he could hear the sound, and the consequent rushing of students trying to get inside in time. Jace took a deep breath and followed the steady flow of teenagers inside, until he came to the front desk. The assistant, Mrs. Penhallow, seemed nice enough, and he was quickly given directions to his first class; French. He grinned at his timetable, as he was rather skilled at languages, and knew it would be a nice way to start the day. By the time Jace got to his class everyone was already seated, which suited Jace fine, as he did like to make an entrance.

"Ah, you must be the new student, Jace, am I correct? My name is Mr. Hodge. Here, you can sit over there, in that spare seat by Alexander," the teacher said, and Jace looked at where he was pointing.

Alexander, the boy in question, looked up, and Jace's gaze was met by the most brilliant blue eyes he had ever seen. Jace quickly moved to take his seat, dropping a wink at two of the girls sitting in the front row, who looked away and blushed, and then giggled to themselves as Jace sat down. Jace was fully aware of the effect his looks had, and he often relied on his charm to get him out of sticky situations.

"Hi, as you heard, I'm Jace, the new kid," Jace said as he sat down.

"Call me Alec," Alec said, and he then redirected his attention to Mr. Hodge, who had started the lesson.

Jace soon became bored of the lesson, as he already understood what was being taught, and he decided to look around at the class. The girls he had seen earlier were occasionally glancing back at him, and one of them waved, before quickly turning back around. Jace smirked to himself, and then looked over at Alec, who also seemed to have noticed the exchange, and was rolling his eyes. Jace watched as Alec took notes on everything, but his curiosity peeked as he noticed Alec continuing to write even when Hodge wasn't saying anything of particular importance. Jace glanced over Alec's shoulder and saw that Alec's French workbook, which was lying open, was already completely filled out, with everything done correctly. Jace then leaned closer so he could see what Alec was writing down, and he saw that the boy was filling out some a very complex sheet on Spanish conjugation.

"Wow dude, that's impressive," Jace whispered, and Alec jumped as he realised he'd been caught.

"I, uhhh, thanks," Alec muttered.

"You know, I speak Spanish, and I don't think I know half of that stuff," Jace continued, happy to strike up a conversation about anything.

"Did you learn Spanish?" Alec asked.

"Yeah, people were always trying to get me to do productive stuff, rather than causing general mayhem. Plus, it's a pretty good way to impress the ladies, am I right?" Jace said, and he was confused when Alec looked away, his expression unreadable.

"Did I say something to offend you?" Jace asked as Alec turned his attention to a lesson that Jace knew Alec didn't need to listen to.

"No," Alec said, and his tone suggested that it was the end of the discussion between the two.

Jace sighed and sat back, passing the rest of the lesson by trying to catch the attention of another girl in the class, who was strikingly beautiful, and someone that Jace had decided could compete with his own level of perfection.

By the time lunch came around Jace had been invited to sit with who he presumed were the 'jocks' of the school, judging by the looks everyone gave them, and by their sudden enthusiasm over Jace once they'd seen him in P.E class. Jace was engaged deep in conversation so he only noticed who he was seated next to once he turned to face them.

"Alec? Hi there, again," Jace said, and the boy smiled back at him, seeming more relaxed than before.

"Oh good, you met Alec, he's the striker for our foot ball team, and he is the best shot you'll ever see!" Jordan declared, who was one of the handful of boys that Jace had met.

Alec blushed at the comment, and shook his head, but didn't say anything else.

"So Jace, you're fine to stay for practice after school today, right? Our coach is already in love with you, and it just so happens we need a new mid-fielder," Jordan said.

"I was wondering about that, not many teams have places once the season has started. What happened to the person before me?" Jace asked, instantly confused by the silence that settled over the group, and the awkward glances that were directed at Alec.

"He went to jail," Alec said, breaking through the heavy silence.

"Oh okay. What the hell did he do?" Jace asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"Something illegal, and that's all you need to know," Alec snapped, and he then stood up, grabbing his stuff, and headed off.

"Wow, what the hell did I do to him?" Jace said as watched Alec leave.

"It's best you don't ask about what happened to the Lightwood family," Jordan said, and he then quickly changed the topic. "So, do you drive to school?"

Jace blankly answered the quick questions he was asked, and pretended to be interested in the conversation, meanwhile his eyes started to wonder, only stopping once he saw the same girl he'd seen in his French class.

"Who is that?" Jace asked Jordan.

"Oh, that is Camille. Trust me, it's best to stay away from her, she is _bad_ news."

Just as Jordan spoke Camille looked up, and she slowly smiled at Jace, and then smirked as she caught the boy looking at her.

"She seems like my kind of girl," Jace said as he winked back at her.

Jace's gaze then travelled to the rest of Camille's table, and he was surprised to see that was where Alec had moved to, and he was sitting next to a girl wearing a lot of colourful clothing and glitter. Jace squinted and did a double take as he realized it was a _boy_ Alec was sitting next to. A boy wearing glitter, rainbow clothes, and makeup.

"That's Magnus," Jordan said as he followed Jace's line of sight. "He's Alec's boyfriend. Alec's still a bit touchy about his sexuality because he only came out recently, so that's another area of discussion to avoid. Oh, and if you have a problem with him being gay, there are a line of people who will kill you if you say or do anything," Jordan said.

"What? No, I don't have a problem," Jace replied.

"Good, just checking," Jordan said.

"I'm just surprised that Alec would go for someone like that. I know I hardly know him, but he seems kinda, quiet," Jace said as he observed the two together.

"You know what they say, opposites attract," Jordan said with a shrug, and just as he finished speaking the bell went. "Oh joy, ready for another few hours of slow torture?"

Jace chuckled at the comment and slowly stood up, watching Alec curiously as he left with Magnus without a second glance back at Jace. For some reason this, and many other things about the boy, intrigued Jace, but he quickly shook that off and redirected is attention towards getting through the rest of the day.


	2. Chapter 2

Jace was sitting at the same table again for lunch with the group he now figured were his friends, and this time Alec was once again sitting with them. Jace wasn't thinking too much about the raven-haired boy, as he was more focused on the ferocious battle he was having with his tie. He wasn't used to wearing a uniform, and he was finding it more difficult than he had expected to keep up with the strict uniform rules in place.

"Here, let me help you," Alec said after watching Jace's struggle, and he leant forward and took the material out of Jace's hands.

In record time Alec had the tie looking completely perfect, and Jace gaped at the results.

"I have no idea how you did that, but thanks," Jace said, flashing Alec one of his dazzling grins.

"It's just practice," Alec mumbled and he quickly looked away.

Jace was having a hard time deciphering Alec, but he had decided that he wanted to get to know the ambiguous boy more, which was unusual for Jace, who usually preferred to pass through life without getting too attached to many people. He knew the consequences of becoming emotionally involved with, and he often remained somewhat detached from those around him, although he did acknowledge that once he got to know people, he didn't let them go easily.

Jace was snapped out of his pondering by the presence of the sparkly boy, Magnus, who had been pointed out to him the day before. At first Magnus only paid attention to Alec, but he soon addressed the whole group.

"Just wanted to let you know I'm having a small gathering tonight, if you're interested," Magnus said, and he instantly had everyone's attention, and Jace noticed that Alec was the only one who didn't look too excited by the prospect.

Magnus left straight after his announcement, and Jace was surprised by the hype that was created from such a casual offer.

"What is everyone so excited about?" Jace asked Alec.

"Magnus is kinda famous for his parties," Alec explained, "and everyone's always dying to get an invite."

"You're not such a fan?" Jace asked, noticing the cynicism in Alec's tone.

"Parties aren't really my thing, but of course I'll _have_ to be there," Alec replied.

"Why don't you just not go?" Jace said.

"If you haven't already noticed Magnus is a bit overdramatic, and he gets _very_ upset when I don't go. I don't even know why he likes me there, he just hangs out with all of his friends, who are all convinced I am the most boring person on Earth," Alec mumbled, and he suddenly looked up as if he had remembered he was complaining about his boyfriend to someone he barely knew. "Sorry, about going on, you probably don't want to hear any of this."

"It's cool, and I am interested," Jace said, although he wasn't sure why exactly he cared so much about what Alec was feeling.

"So, are you going?" Alec asked.

"Yeah, why not? Good place to meet new people, and plus, I can keep you company while glitter boy over there gallivants about," Jace said, and he smirked as Alec tried to hide his laughter.

"You shouldn't call him that," Alec said, although his warning was lost on Jace as Alec was obviously trying to cover up his amusement at the nickname.

"Yes, but that's no fun," Jace replied, earning a chuckle from Alec.

By the time Jace arrived at Magnus' apartment, where the party was being held, everything was already in full swing. The main room of the loft had been cleared of all furniture, and every surface was splattered in paint and illuminated by multicoloured lights. There was a huge throng of people in the very centre of the room all moving in time to the pounding music, and overall it looked like the kind of place that Jace could fit right into. Still, he had promised to talk to Alec so he started to scan the crowd for him. Eventually Jace spotted him talking to someone on the other side of the room, and he pushed his way over.

"Hey!" Jace yelled over the music.

"Hi Jace, this is Aline," Alec said, gesturing to the person he'd been talking to.

Jace settled in to talk to the two for a while, however Alec did notice Jace's obvious interest in the rest of the party.

"You can go, if you want," Alec said gesturing to the dance floor. "I'm probably going to head home anyway."

"You sure?" Jace asked, and Alec nodded and smiled at him, before leaving the loft with a quick glance over his shoulder, although Jace knew Alec was searching for Magnus rather than looking back at him.

As Jace started to dance he ran into who he now knew was Camille, and he was suprirsed when she pulled him closer. The two soon started to dance together, although they were so close that Jace felt as if they were already being more intimate than usually came with simply dancing. Still, Jace was definitely not complaining, well, not until he realised that Camille's attention was not focused on him. He couldn't tell who Camille was trying to make jealous, but her mind was not on him, so Jace quickly excused himself and made his way over to the bar. He grabbed a beer and started to look at some of the other women when he saw Camille leading none other than Magnus Bane by the hand. Jace lent up onto his tiptoes to try and see what was happening, and sure enough he saw Camille taking Magnus into one of the bedrooms. Jace didn't want to leap to any conclusions, but he was pretty sure that he knew exactly what was going on, and so he made his way to the door he had seen Magnus and Camille disappear behind. Jace wasn't sure what he was going to do, and even his long trip across the room, that was constantly delayed by the random and drunken staggering of complete strangers, didn't help Jace come up with any rational thoughts. When Jace did come to the door he wrenched it open without a second thought, and he gaped at the scene. Magnus and Camille were already practically naked, and on closer inspection Jace could see that Magnus was tearing open a condom.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Jace said, and finally the two other teens became aware of their company.

"Oh, don't be jealous Jace," Camille said with a giggle, not put out in any way by the company.

Magnus on the other hand seemed to grasp the severity of the situation he was in, and he quickly scrambled away from Camille and tried to pull his pants back up.

"It's not what it looks like," Magnus said, and Jace scoffed.

"So you two weren't going to have sex the second that your boyfriend left your shitty party?" Jace asked, and Magnus' face dropped.

"Please don't tell Alec," Magnus begged, which only infuriated Jace further.

"You have no right to demand that I shouldn't tell him how much you fucked up. He deserves _so_ much better than a guy who can't even keep it in his pants," Jace said and he then turned and left, practically running through the loft in an attempt to escape.

Jace was aware that he didn't actually know Alec that well, but the thought that someone would cheat on him like that still enraged him, and Jace knew there was no way he was going to let Alec continue to see someone who clearly did not deserve to be with him.

**A/N** I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Thank you for the reviews on my previous chapter, and please review this one as well!


	3. Chapter 3

Jace sat tensely in his seat next to Alec and fidgeted with his pen, which Alec noticed. Jace was not usually one to exhibit such behaviour, and so Alec was becoming increasingly concerned about Jace. All day he had barely talked to Alec, and even now that they were in class together Jace was actually doing his work instead of distracting Alec, as he usually did. Jace knew that this was the perfect time to talk to Alec, as that day they had a substitute teacher who was allowing them to talk freely as they worked, something their normal French teacher would never stand for. Jace had no idea how to bring up what he had seen, and he also didn't want to hurt Alec, even if he had only been the one to see Magnus cheat. Jace had to tell Alec though, he knew that much, and in all honesty he had expected Magnus to have already said something to Alec. Instead, Magnus appeared relieved that Jace hadn't exposed him, and was now content with continuing his relationship with Alec as if nothing had happened. Jace's eyes darted up to the clock, which showed he only had a few more minutes of class left before school was over for the day, and Jace decided he would tell Alec after school, in more privacy.

"Hey, Alec, can I talk to you after school?"

"Uh, sure, I'll meet you in the parking lot," Alec said, confused over Jace's question but not pushing him to reveal what was going on.

The second the bell went Jace dashed out of the classroom, leaving Alec behind looking slightly shocked, but he figured that Jace would explain himself later.

Jace lent up against Alec's car, which he recognized from seeing him drive into school that morning. Many of the students had already left the school, although Alec seemed to be held up by something, and Jace sighed as he waited to tell Alec something he really didn't want to.

"What are you doing here?"

Jace's head snapped up as he heard Magnus' voice, and he quickly stood up straight as he glared at the other boy.

"I came to talk to Alec, which is something you should really be doing, instead of me," Jace said.

"You better not tell him what happened last night," Magnus said, his eyes glimmering with determination.

"Actually, that's exactly what I plan on explaining to him, seeing as you're obviously too much of a coward to do it yourself," Jace said.

"He doesn't need to know, it will only hurt Alec," Magnus said, and Jace was shocked by the statement.

"You sound as if this has happened before," Jace observed. "Anyway, Alec has _every_ right to know what you did."

"I am warning you one last time Herondale, turn around and leave, and don't ever say anything about what you saw," Magnus said in a surprisingly menacing tone.

"Go fuck yourself," Jace said, and he once again went to lean against Alec's car, when he felt Magnus' fist connect with his face.

Jace was shocked by the action, as he hadn't taken Magnus as the type to resort to physical violence, but it only took a split second for Jace to recover, and then punch Magnus back. Jace heard a crack as his fist smashed into Magnus' face, and as the other boy put his hands to his nose Jace punched him again in the jaw with just as much force. Jace was about grab Magnus when he felt a strong grip on his shoulder, and turned to see Alec, who appeared rather furious.

"What do you think you're doing?" Alec demanded as he pushed Jace away from Magnus, and then went to inspect the other man's injury.

"I…no, Alec, it's not like that…Magnus, he, hit me first," Jace stammered.

"You did?" Alec asked Magnus, and he then shook his head. "That's not the point. Jace, did you break his nose?"

"Maybe," Jace said, secretly pleased he had done some damage.

"What were you two even fighting about?" Alec asked as he noticed Magnus' silence on the whole ordeal.

"Nothing," Magnus practically growled.

"Nothing?! Are you kidding?" Jace yelled at Magnus.

"_Jace_," Alec said in a warning tone.

"I saw Magnus last night, after you left, with Camille," Jace said, and he held his breath as he waited for Alec's reaction.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Alec asked.

"Alec, I'm sorry, but he was cheating on you," Jace said, and Alec slowly looked up at Jace.

Jace watched as Alec started to understand what he had said, and he then turned to look at Magnus.

"Is this true?" Alec eventually asked.

"I'm so sorry baby, it didn't mean anything, I had too much to drink, and you know how much trouble Camille is. I swear it meant nothing!" Magnus implored, and as he spoke he tried to take Alec's hand, but the other boy jerked away from his touch.

"I can't believe you…I thought you cared about me," Alec said in complete dismay, and Jace heard how his voice broke as he spoke.

"I do, Alexander. Things just got out of control, and you weren't there and-"

"Oh, so this is _my _fault now?" Alec said, his voice uncharacteristically filled with anger.

"No, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant," Magnus said, but Alec just shook his head.

The voice of Mrs. Penhallow suddenly pulled the three boys from the drama playing out between them, and they all looked up at her.

"What is happening over here? Have you boys been fighting?" She asked as she evaluated the scene. "Magnus Bane, I should have known you would be at the center of any trouble. And you, Jace Herondale, our school has strict rules on such misconduct."

"I'm sorry Miss, but-" Jace started, but his charms didn't work as Mrs. Penhallow raised her hand.

"Well you can show just how sorry you are in detention this Friday. I hope neither of you had any plans, and if you did, consider them cancelled," Mrs. Penhallow declared, and she then turned on her heal and left.

"Great, just what I needed," Magnus said, and Alec scoffed at him. "Look, baby, we need to talk, but I promise I can make this up to you."

"Not this time. Get away from me," Alec said.

"What are you saying?" Magnus said as he saw what Alec meant by his words. "Are you breaking up with me?"

"Don't sound so surprised, I prefer to date guys who actually give a shit about me," Alec replied, leaving Magnus completely shocked.

With nothing else to say to defend himself, Magnus turned around and stormed away, and Alec watched him go without a word.

"I really am sorry about what happened," Jace said after a moment silence, and Alec looked up at him like he'd forgotten the other boy was there.

"It's not your fault. Thanks for telling me, by the way," Alec said.

"I wish you didn't have to find out like that," Jace said as he placed a comforting hand on Alec's shoulder.

"It's fine, really. Things have been bad for a while now, I guess I just needed that extra push," Alec admitted, and he then looked up at Jace again, and saw a bruise forming on his face. "You don't look so good, do you want to come back to my house, and I'll give you an icepack or something?"

Jace knew that Alec probably lived further away from school than he did, but he still found himself agreeing to the offer, telling himself he was doing this to make Alec feel better, although he couldn't tell which boy desired the other's company more.

**A/N** Hope you enjoyed chapter three, in the next chapter Jace is going to comfort Alec (not in _that _way, anyone who had their mind in the gutter), and there's going to be an explanation into both of their family history. Thank you for reading, and please don't forget to review!


	4. Chapter 4

Jace whistled as Alec pulled up at his house and got out of the car, and started to walk up to the grand house. Jace had heard it said around the school that the Lightwood family were rich, but he hadn't been expecting them to live in what looked like a reconstructed church.

"I know, it's a strange place. My parents like historical stuff so they bought an old church and then did it up," Alec explained as he let Jace inside.

"Are they here at the moment?" Jace asked, and Alec laughed at the question.

"No. Father is often overseas on business trips, and Mother always works until late at night. Izzy and I don't really see them anymore," Alec explained, and the casualness in his tone concerned Jace.

"That must suck, not having them around," Jace said as he trailed after Alec, who led him into the kitchen.

"You get used to it," Alec replied as he took some ice from the freezer and wrapped it in a towel, and he then placed it against Jace's bruised cheek with surprising gentleness.

Alec placed his other hand on Jace's shoulder as he tried to get a better look at the bruise, and Jace became acutely aware of how close they were. If he wanted he could simply tilt his head up and he would be able to reach Alec's lips with his own… Jace gasped at his own thought process, not knowing where such an idea had come from.

"Oh sorry, did I hurt you?" Alec asked as noticed Jace's discomfort.

"It's fine," Jace said quickly.

Alec then gave the ice to Jace and stepped away from the other boy, although he still looked concerned about him.

"You should also put the ice on your knuckles, they'll start to hurt as well, after a while," Alec said, and Jace nodded, having already been in enough fistfights to know what to expect.

"I'm surprised you didn't punch him yourself," Jace said jokingly.

"I've never really been one for violence, that's more my sister's style," Alec said.

"Your sister?" Jace said, clearly a little shocked.

"Yeah, you should see how many detentions she's gotten for getting into fights," Alec said as he rolled his eyes.

"Everyone's been telling me that the Lightwood siblings are nothing alike…I guess I now know why," Jace said, and Alec nodded in agreement.

"We are very different," Alec agreed, and he watched as Jace wince when he took the ice off of his face, and brushed his fingers over his bruise.

"Magnus throws a surprisingly good punch," Jace stated.

"He's been in his share of fights as well. People have always given him a hard time," Alec said.

"Well with an attitude like his…"

"Magnus isn't all bad, Jace. He's done a lot for me, he helped me with accepting myself, and eventually coming out," Alec said, and he looked far away as he spoke.

"I hope this isn't the part where you decide to take him back," Jace said.

"No, I don't want to be with him. Anyway, this isn't the first problem we've had,"  
Alec said as he sat down on one of the stools in the kitchen.

"What else happened? You know, if you don't mind me asking," Jace said, not understanding why exactly he was so interested.

"No, it's fine. I guess the main thing is that he's always been a flirt, and it's hard seeing him be so…_open_ with people that he has probably slept with before, whilst before him I had never even kissed anyone. Also, I've always felt a bit boring for him, as he's always wanted me to wear different clothes, change my hair, be more outgoing… Sometimes it was like he wanted to be with someone else entirely, rather than let me just be myself," Alec admitted, and he looked up at Jace. "Sorry, I don't know why I keep on telling you so much about myself, I don't usually open up so easily."

"Stop apologizing, I _want_ to hear what you have to say. I'm not really one for opening up either," Jace replied. "I've never had many people I'm close to, so I guess I don't really have anyone I feel comfortable talking to."

"I know you probably don't want to talk, but if you ever do, I'm here," Alec said, and Jace smiled at the offer, nodding in appreciation.

"Do you want a painkiller or something?" Alec said after a moment of comfortable silence between the two boys.

"If you have some, that would be great," Jace said.

"Yeah, there's some in the bathroom upstairs, I'll go get it," Alec said, and he then left in search of the medication.

As Jace waited for Alec he got up and started to explore the halls of the building, as he never had been very good at sitting and waiting patiently. Jace noticed the classic artwork that lined the wall next to the staircase, and he started to climb the stairs in order to see each painting better. Eventually Jace came to the second floor, and he saw what he presumed to be Alec's bedroom, as the other door on that side of the corridor was a painted in various colours, and Jace supposed it was Izzy's room.

"I'll just wait in you room," Jace called out, and soon he heard a sound of approval from the other end of the corridor.

Jace was surprised to see that as he opened the door to the room that everything was set up as if it were the bedroom of a child. It was also incredibly tidy, although with Jace himself being a bit of a neat freak he didn't find this too unusual. What he did find strange however was the layer of dust sitting over everything, that suggested no one had lived in the room for quite some time. Jace suddenly heard a creaking of floorboards behind him, and turned to see Alec.

"Sorry, I though this was you room…Do you have a younger sibling?"

"I used to," Alec said, and Jace cocked a brow at the cryptic answer. "You remember how on your first day, you asked about what happened to the old mid-fielder? His name was Jonathan Morgenstern, and he went to jail for manslaughter," Alec's voice was flat as he spoke, and he stepped past Jace and into the room, a bittersweet smile on his face as he looked around. "He was driving home one night whilst drunk, and he hit another car. It was my Mother's car, and my sister, and my brother, Max, were in the back. Izzy was hurt, but nothing too bad, and Mother was fine, but Max…Max died on impact."

Jace stepped forward and as Alec turned back to look at him Jace saw his eyes were glistening with unshed tears.

"No one in my family has the heart to actually pack this room up, even though it's been almost a year."

"I'm sorry for-" Jace started, but Alec cut him off.

"Please, don't tell me how sorry you are. I'm sick of people feeling sorry for me."

"I'm not pitying you Alec, I'm empathizing. I know what it feels like to lose people. My Mum died in childbirth, and my Dad passed away when I was ten. I was in and out of Foster care for a while, as I was classed as a 'problem case'. Eventually I settled down with the Wayland family for a few years, but once I was old enough I decided to try living on my own. It didn't matter how much the Waylands helped me, they were never really my family, and we all knew that. That's why I moved here, to start a brand new life."

Jace suddenly found himself in a tight embrace, and he hugged Alec back, smiling slightly at the warmth and understanding the support the other boy was offering. Jace had never actually told anyone what had happened to his parents. People usually heard about his reputation from general gossip, but it felt nice to actually open up to someone, which was something he hadn't done in a very long time. Jace could feel his shirt becoming damp as Alec silently shook in his arms, and he pulled the taller boy closer, and held him with a fierce protectiveness Jace didn't think he would ever possess for anyone. Neither Jace or Alec were sure how long they stayed like that, but when they did eventually pull apart one thing was infinitely clear to Jace, he cared deeply for Alec, and not exactly in the way that a friend should.

**A/N** Just to be clear, in this AU Jace never lived with Valentine as his actual father didn't die until he was ten. Hope you enjoyed the back-stories for both Alec and Jace. Thanks for reading, and please review, I love the feedback!


	5. Chapter 5

Jace threw himself down on the grass next to the football field, his body humming pleasantly from his run. Seeing as Jace was new to the team he was staying late after practices for extra training, not that he actually needed it. Jace sat up again as his breathing evened out, and he looked out over the field. On the other side the girl's football team were training, and as Jace pulled himself up to get a drink of water from the vending machines behind the change rooms, he noticed Aline had the same idea.

"Hi, I'm Jace, we met the other night at Magnus' party," Jace said as he leaned against the brick wall of the building once he'd caught up to Aline.

"Hey, Aline. Yeah, I remember you," she said.

"Well, I am pretty unforgettable," Jace said with a smirk.

Aline was definitely attractive, although she had more of striking look than most girls, and Jace decided a bit of harmless flirting with her could help him clear his head. Jace wasn't sure if it was just because of his sudden close friendship with Alec, but he was starting to think about the other boy a _lot_, and they weren't always simply friendly thoughts. If Jace didn't pay attention to his thought process he would find himself paying too much attention to how Alec's clothes clang to his clearly muscular form after training, and how soft his lips looked when he subconsciously licked them… It wasn't only physical things that caught Jace's attention, it was also Alec's kind and selfless nature, which he saw everyday in the various things Alec did. Jace didn't know anyone else who gave so much of themselves over to please other people, and Jace now understood why Magnus didn't want to let Alec go. Jace was sure that if it were him that Alec was with, he would do everything in his power to make sure Alec was happy.

Jace realised that Aline was still talking to him, and he focused his attention on her, rather than Alec. Jace had noticed how tight Aline's training clothes were, and how her disheveled state made it look a little like she had just rolled out of bed with someone, and even though his mind could process these things, Jace's brain seemed to refuse to acknowledge the usual attraction he should feel to her, or anyone else. Jace had always considered himself straight as an arrow, but it was difficult to dismiss his feelings towards his friend. Of course Jace had always appreciated the male form, but he had never thought of that as meaning anything, but now he was starting to wonder. It wasn't even as if Jace was noticing other guys as well, instead his interest was just becoming increasingly more focused on Alec. At least Alec was gay, so he wasn't _completely_ unavailable to him, but still, they were just friends, and Alec had shown no sign whatsoever of him being in the least bit interested in Jace. Again, Jace found himself distracted by Alec, and he forced himself to listen to Aline.

"I have to get back to training," Aline said.

"Already? Come on, don't you want to stay with me for just a little bit longer," Jace asked as he leant forward.

Aline bit her lip as she noticed how close their faces now were, and after a quick look of doubt flashed across her features, she leant forward and pressed her lips to Jace's, and he instantly responded to the contact. Jace was relieved to be kissing a girl, although he was soon disappointed as he found that instead of becoming lost in the sensation he remained distant from what was happening. Jace closed his eyes and tried to force himself to enjoy the kiss, and Aline too seemed to pour all of her energy into it, but not because she was overwhelmed with passion. Both of the teens seemed to be searching for something they knew they could not find in each other, even though they so desperately wanted to. Aline pulled away after a few moments and looked up at Jace with an unsure expression.

"Did you want to hang out some time?" Aline asked, and Jace nodded, still not quite sure what to say.

The kiss hadn't been unpleasant, but at the same time it hadn't helped with his little problem. Jace decided he just needed some more exposure for his feelings to go away.

"Sure, that sounds great," Jace said, and just as he spoke he saw the man he'd been thinking about round the corner.

"Hey Aline, I looked over your Spanish essay for you, here it is," Alec said after giving Jace a quick nod.

Aline quickly took the papers, and Alec then noticed how she was slightly flushed, and not only from the training.

"Sorry, did I interrupt something?" Alec asked in a confused tone.

"Kind of…" Aline said, and she then glanced up at Jace. "We were just…"

"Oh," Alec said as he realised what she was insinuating.

Alec still seemed surprised, however his attention was focused on Aline, as were his questioning looks.

"Don't sound so surprised Alec, it's not a miracle for me to be with a guy," Aline said in a somewhat forced joking tone.

"No, I wouldn't call it that…" Alec mumbled, which earned him a not so playful slap, that looked like it might have actually hurt, from Aline.

Jace watched the exchange without comprehending what was going on, as his mind was focused on the conflict he felt over Alec knowing about him doing anything with anybody else. On the one hand it would make sure that any signals Alec might pick up on where quickly dismissed, not that Alec was often aware of the subtleties surrounding him. It also meant that Alec would presume, if he didn't already do so, that Jace had no interest in him. Jace mentally groaned in frustration at his situation, and the constant questioning going on in his head. It made it difficult to focus on anything else, for instance the conversation involving him that was unfolding right in front of his eyes.

"Well, uhhh, have fun, with whatever you two were up to, I just wanted to drop that work off before I headed home," Alec said, and Jace's gaze lingered as he watched him walk away.

Jace just hoped his little engagement with Aline would help him understand what was happening, even if his revelations weren't strictly what he wanted to hear.

**A/N** Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Just as a warning there will be some sexual content in the next chapter… Please review and I shall be motivated to update quicker!


	6. Chapter 6

Jace headed straight for the shower once he got home, his general desire for cleanliness taking over as he quickly stripped out of his training gear and relaxed under the hot spray of water. Jace still felt rather tense, mainly due to his inner turmoil, and he quickly thought of an easy way to relax. Jace closed his eyes as he let his hand snake down over his chiseled chest and torso, and he reached down to his cock. Jace's mind scanned through various different sources of 'motivation', both from his own sexual endeavors as well as the internet, yet nothing seemed to stick. Eventually one image did stand out however; Alec shirtless and sweaty, changing after training. Jace's eyes snapped open at the thought, and he shook his head as he tried to imagine something, _anything_, else, yet his mind was as stubborn as ever, and would offer him nothing else arousing. Eventually giving up on his struggle, Jace let himself lean against the shower wall, and he closed his eyes once again, and as he imagined Alec's soft lips, the way they would feel against his own, and Alec's perfect body, and the way it moved on the field… Finally Jace's body responded to his fantasies, and even as he made one last attempt to imagine a different scenario, it was only when he pretended it was Alec's hand around his member, that it was Alec touching him, and wanting to see him, to _feel_ him, that Jace finally felt his release build up. After a few more moments of moaning and gasping, in a manor that was more audible than usual, Jace came, and cried out Alec's name as he did so. Jace was incredibly relieved that he lived alone, as he was sure that yelling out a man's name whilst in the shower would surely draw some unwanted attention to him. Jace felt even more conflicted as he got out of the shower, as he'd just released at the thought of a _guy_ touching him, and he also felt a bid bad for imaging Alec in such away when he was meant to be friends with him. Jace fell down on his bed and groaned as he put his head in his hands, and yet again spent his time trying, and failing, to suppress all thoughts of Alexander Lightwood.

Although summer was drawing to a close, once the football team started training it quickly got very hot, and it was not unusual for many of the boys to shed their shirts. Jace had never given this a second thought, but as he stood at the side taking a quick drink of water his attention was quickly caught by one boy in particular taking of said article of clothing. Jace looked down at the ground and internally panicked as Alec came and stood beside Jace, as he too drank some water.

"So you and Aline huh?" Alec asked, and Jace fought to keep his eyes on Alec's face.

"Yeah… You and her are friends right?" Jace said, struggling to keep up the small talk.

"Yes. We share a few things in common," Alec said cryptically.

"How are you holding up? After the breakup and all that," Jace asked, and he saw Alec's casual attitude shift slightly.

"Fine, I guess," Alec said, and he then bit his lip, drawing Jace's attention to Alec's mouth.

"Good. Well, I've gotta go," Jace said suddenly.

"But, our break isn't even over," Alec protested.

Jace shrugged and turned to leave, when he found his escape path blocked by Jordan, who was giving both boys strange looks.

"Alec, you never take your shirt off during practice, what gives?" Jordan asked.

"It's just hot today," Alec muttered as he stared at the ground, and his cheeks flushed slightly.

"And Jace, you've been super jumpy all day," Jordan said as he turned back to the golden boy.

"I'm just excited about hanging out with Aline, I guess," Jace lied smoothly, and he was confused as he saw an unreadable expression pass over Alec's face at the comment.

"Whatever," Jordan said as he walked past the two boys who he knew were not telling him the whole truth.

Jace was about to walk away as well, when Alec gently grabbed his arm.

"If I don't talk to you after practice, with Aline just… be careful," Alec said, and he then ran back onto the field, leaving Jace even more confused.

Jace felt relaxed and in control, a freeing feeling for him, as he sat kissing Aline on his couch. It wasn't like the feeling was heavenly, but this was a situation Jace knew well, and it was providing Jace with the perfect distraction. A part of Jace felt guilty for using Aline in such a way, but Jace repressed the nagging voice in his head, and instead focused on the girl in his apartment. Jace felt like his old self now that he had a girl alone with him, and he smirked as he felt Aline move so that she was straddling him. He was too distracted by this action to notice how Aline looked far away, like she wasn't concentrating on the boy in front her. Jace soon felt Aline's delicate fingers slip under the hem of his shirt, and then slowly slide up his chest. Her movements were hesitant and unsure, but he put that down to inexperience. Soon enough Aline's hands started to travel down again, but instead of pulling her hands away as Jace expected, Aline's fingers went to the fly on his jeans, which she quickly undid. Jace froze underneath her touch, but Aline had pulled away from Jace to concentrate on what she was doing, so she didn't notice Jace's reaction. Aline looked back up at Jace as she slipped her hand down the front of his jeans and started to stroke his length through his boxers. Jace eventually regained himself, but still his body made no reaction to Aline's touch, and eventually he jerked away from her hand, leaving Aline looking rather confused.

"Sorry, I thought…" Aline said as she got off of Jace's lap.

"No, don't be sorry, I'm just really tired from training…and I haven't been feeling that well today," Jace blurted out quickly.

"Oh okay," Aline said, and the two sat next to each other on the couch silently.

Jace wanted to say something to ease the awkwardness, but he had no idea what to tell Aline, and he was also concerned about his own reaction. Jace could hardly believe that he just rejected the advances of a hot girl because he couldn't get hard without thinking about Alec.

"I actually have to go home, I'll see you tomorrow," Aline mumbled quickly, and Jace made no protest to her leaving, and he slumped into the couch once she was gone, and groaned out loud.

Jace knew he had wanted to change his life and experience something new, but he had never expected anything like _this_. In one week he had met a man who had completely changed his outlook on life, and Alec both excited and terrified Jace in every way possible.

**A/N **Hope you liked this chapter, please read and review and I will update as soon as possible!


	7. Chapter 7

Jace was not looking forward to speaking to his 'girlfriend', however it wasn't for the usual reasons that often plagued him. Usually all of Jace's relationships were rather brief, due to his distaste for proper commitment, and so within a couple of weeks he would tell a girl she was too clingy or needy, and that they needed space. In fact, he was pretty sure he used the same break up speech with just about every girlfriend, breaking the hearts of so many in the same way over and over again. This time was different however, as the reason things hadn't worked out had never been due on a crush on another guy, not that he was going to explain that to Aline of course. No, instead he was simply going to say he wasn't looking for a relationship, just some good times, and that he didn't do commitment. He and Aline hadn't exactly been together very long, so he didn't think this would actually hurt her, however the dread was still building in his stomach, especially because he knew what close friends Alec and Aline were, and he didn't want to be known as the guy who hurt Alec's friend. He really hoped that Alec understood, but not too well of course, and accepted his decisions without any hard feelings.

Jace had been waiting outside the female changing rooms for what felt like ages to talk to Aline, and having seen the rest of the girl's football team leave, he decided to quickly pop his head inside, just to see if he hadn't missed her leaving. As Jace slipped into the room, having had practice committing such acts in the past, he was suddenly confronted by a scene he definitely hadn't been expecting. It seemed that one other member of the girl's team hadn't left the changing room yet, although Jace didn't recognize the girl, in fact he was too busy wondering why she was making out with Aline to wonder who exactly she was. The two girls quickly noticed Jace's presences, and they jumped away from each other, Aline looking completely terrified as she saw Jace. It was an expression that Jace presumed would have been reflected on his own face when he realised that he had a crush on Alec, and Jace looked away suddenly, embarrassed to walk in such an intimate moment. Jace knew he should have felt angrier, as technically Aline was cheating on him, but a part of Jace felt relieved that he wasn't the only one who wasn't committed, and was somewhat confused over what they wanted.

"Oh my god Jace, it's not what it looks like!" Aline suddenly declared as she pulled her jumper back on, as if she felt too exposed now that she'd been seen, even though she still had the rest of her clothing on.

Jace saw the brief flash of hurt that passed across the other girl's face, and from the look she gave Jace it was pretty obvious that it was exactly what it looked like.

"Uhhh, I don't think we should go out anymore," Jace said, his prepared words from earlier the only help his brain would offer him. "I don't think we really work together, or that we want the same things."

Jace was surprised at how what he was saying was still appropriate for the situation, but the more he spoke, the more panicked Aline seemed to become.

"No, this doesn't mean anything," Aline blurted out, and at that point the other girl rolled her eyes and grabbed her bag, storming out of the room.

In that instant Jace saw how much Aline wanted to run after her, and not be there with him, and empathizing with her situation, Jace offered her a small smile as he spoke again.

"I think it does mean something. Now go on, go after her, I know you want to."

Aline gave him a look that was a mixture of gratitude and confusion, but she did as he said, and soon Jace was left in the room by himself to sort out in his head what had just happened.

As Jace left the changing room he was surprised to run straight into someone, and as he regained his bearings Jace found himself looking into the ocean blue of eyes of none other than Alexander Lightwood.

"Really, sneaking out of the girls change room?" Alec said in a joking tone, and for the first time ever Jace felt embarrassed and ashamed to be caught.

"It's not what it looks like," he blurted out.

"Sure, sure," Alec replied.

"No, seriously, I just saw Aline making out with a girl. That was the only 'funny business' going on," Jace said. "Oh shit, she probably doesn't want me to tell anyone about that."

"Yeah, she doesn't want anyone to know. Only me, Hannah, the girl I presume she was with, and you, now know," Alec said.

"Wait, you knew she was secretly with a girl, and you didn't tell me?" Jace said, shocked that Alec would keep something like that from him.

"It wasn't my place to get involved, or say anything about her sexual orientation," Alec said.

"I was dating her! I thought we were supposed to be friends, and you won't even tell me when the girl I'm going out with is only using me as a cover?"

Jace regretted his words, as he'd been using Aline in a very similar way, but still, at least he didn't have a secret relationship.

"You don't understand, if anyone found out… Her family wouldn't take it well, and they've already noticed her lack of interest in dating guys," Alec said, his voice softening.

"So you're just going to support her lying to everyone and using people?" Jace asked.

"I know what it's like to be in her situation, and I know what it can do. I think she does have to come to terms with herself eventually, but I also understand how hard it is to have people, to have your own family, look at you like you're some kind of disgusting freak that they wish had never been born," Alec said, his voice becoming more strained as he spoke, until finally he turned away from Jace.

"Alec? Are you okay? Is that how your family reacted?" Jace asked softly, wanting to reach out and comfort Alec, but not knowing exactly what he should do.

"My parents, they didn't take the news well. My Mother still talks about the lovely young lady I will someday marry, and tries to set me up on dates with random girls who are friends of the family. And my Father… when he's around he just looks at me like I'm dead to him, like I'm some sort if alien creature infecting his home and family. I know Aline can't hide forever, but I can understand why she'd want to run from that, as her parents have very similar views to mine," Alec said, and this time Jace did reach out to Alec as he spoke, wrapping an arm around the taller boy's shoulders.

"I'm sorry, I had no idea, I promise I won't utter a word to anyone, about anything," Jace said, and he was glad as he saw Alec start to calm down. "Anyway, it's not really fair on Aline, putting all the blame on her. Truth is I was planning on breaking up with her today."

"Why?" Alec asked, looking very curious all of a sudden.

"Let's just say I'm far more interested in someone else, who is completely different," Jace replied as he looked down at the oblivious man in his embrace.

"Can I ask who?" Alec said.

"I wish I could tell you, I really wish I could."

**A/N** I know, it has been too long between updates, but I now have a swamped schedule, however I now plan to update twice a week! As always, please reviews, as this is the best form of motivation and of course feedback.


	8. Chapter 8

Jace breathed a sigh of relief as the last class of the day finished. Maths was always a struggle for Jace, as in his mind every topic he studied within the subject hated him, and made it impossible for him to understand. Being at such a prestigious school now meant that it was quickly noticed that this was not his strongest area, and Jace knew that soon enough someone would say something, which was why he wasn't surprised when he was asked to wait after class by his teacher, who managed to catch Jace just before he was about to evacuate the classroom. Someone Jace didn't recognize walked into the room and quickly spoke to the teacher, and Jace leant into get a closer look at the boy. It was pretty easy to see why Jace didn't know the student, as he looked more like the sort to stay home and play video games, a hobby Jace had never enjoyed. Within the school they moved in completely separate circles, and Jace gave up on trying to place him.

"Hi, I'm Simon, I guess I'm going to be your maths tutor now," the boy said.

"Hey, Jace. So I'm doing that bad am I?" Jace asked, his voice full of amusement as Simon took a seat next to him.

"The school just likes to make sure everything goes smoothly, and they always prefer it when they can get a student to spend their time teaching someone. Something about the valuable experience. My theory is that the teachers are just too lazy to do it themselves," Simon said, making Jace chuckle.

"So, when do we start?" Jace said as he noticed that Simon was making no move to do anything.

"Oh, didn't you know? Someone else is joining us, you probably know him, Alec Lightwood," Simon said, instantly capturing Jace's attention.

"What? I thought he was a really good student," Jace said, remembering how in the past Jordan had teased Alec for his dedication to study.

"He is, or at least he was. Apparently his grades have gone down a bit. I don't really know anything else," Simon said, and so Jace sat back and waited for Alec to arrive.

Ever since he and Alec had spoken about Aline and the Lightwood family they'd become closer than ever, but still Jace had to always be on his guard, lest he slip up and let Alec know how he really felt. Jace could already tell the other boy was curious to know who he liked, and was becoming annoyed that Jace didn't trust him with his source of affection. Still, between shared classes and training, they were spending almost every moment together, with maths tutoring only adding to this.

"Sorry I'm late," Alec said as he took a seat next to Jace, "my teacher only just told me about this."

"Hi, I'm Simon," Simon said, and Alec nodded.

"Yeah, I know, I've heard about you," Alec said.

"Oh, umm, how?" Simon asked.

"You won the maths prize for our year, as well as the science competition," Alec said, and Simon modestly nodded at the facts. "Also, I've been told about your massive crush on my sister."

At Alec's final words Simon's eyes widened, and he looked down at the floor rather than up at Alec.

"What now?" Jace asked, suddenly fascinated by the conversation.

"You probably shouldn't trust Jordan with all your secrets, as he tends to blab when he's drunk, and I'm usually the one who ends up taking care of people," Alec said, and Simon looked increasingly mortified.

"I didn't know you and Jordan were friends," Jace commented, amused by how terrified Simon appeared to be of Alec.

"Yeah, I got into some trouble with one of the school bullies, Raphael, a while ago, and he helped me out. We've stayed friends since then," Simon said, still refusing to look at Alec.

"So, should we start the tutoring now?" Alec asked as if the previous conversation hadn't even happened.

"Uhhh, yeah, sure," Simon said, clearly confused by the behaviour.

"So…what do you think of your sister and Simon?" Jace whispered to Alec.

"You're meant to be trying those problems," Alec muttered back, his attention focused on his own more advanced work.

"I don't get it. Who even needs trigonometry anyway? I'll just avoid triangles for the rest of my life," Jace replied.

"That is not a practical solution to your maths problems," Alec said. "Just ask Simon for help."

"That's all I've been doing this whole time, I can't even do one problem without him. And speaking of Simon…you haven't said much on his little crush," Jace said, refusing to drop the topic.

"Izzy makes her own decisions, she always has. But, Simon is a lot better than a lot of the guys she's dated, and judging from what Jordan's said, I think he actually likes Izzy for who she is, rather than her looks and popularity," Alec said, and Simon looked up from where he was sitting a few seats away as he noticed that neither Alec nor Jace were working.

"Is everything okay?" Simon asked, and one look at Jace's expression told him that the golden boy was once again lost.

Simon stood up, and as he came over to help Jace he took a quick look at Alec's work, and gasped at what he saw. Not only had Alec finished all of his homework and other set work, but he was working through more advanced problems that even Simon found tricky.

"Wow, I'm sitting next to genius," Jace said as he saw what Alec had done.

"You definitely don't need tutoring," Simon added. "Why does your teacher even want you here?"

"My grades did slip a little while ago, my teacher just wants to make sure it doesn't happen again," Alex explained, blushing at Jace's compliment.

"What happened?" Simon asked, and Alec's expression darkened. "Oh, was it because of what happened with the Morgensterns?"

"Yes," Alec replied, his voice cold and reserved.

Simon became silent after Alec replied, and he decided to help Jace instead of continuing to question Alec. It wasn't long before Alec finished his work, and also started to help Jace, and with the help with the other two boys Jace eventually stopped threatening to set his homework on fire, and actually completed it instead. Yet again Jace was amazed with how Alec's attitude completely changed, and he became his light hearted self once again, despite having had Max's death brought up. Jace was truly starting to see how full of surprised Alec was, especially when he saw Alec subtly slip Izzy's number into Simon's bag as they all left.

"That wasn't actually so bad, we should do this again tomorrow, with or without Simon," Jace said, trying to keep his voice even as he again asked for alone time with Alec.

"Can't," Alec said as if it was obvious why they couldn't meet up.

"Right, of course, that's fine, you're probably busy, and I'm sure you think of a million better things to do than help me with maths," Jace muttered.

"Jace, we can't meet up because you have your detention with Magnus tomorrow."

**A/N** Please review and I'll update as soon as possible!


	9. Chapter 9

Jace dragged his feet as he slowly made his way towards detention, already dreading the next hour. In the past Jace had had detentions before, but usually he was only stuck with his partners in crime, who were almost always his friends, but now he was going to have to spend an hour in a room with only Magnus Bane, and Jace wasn't sure what was going to happen. He was still angry at the other boy for having hurt Alec, but he was also jealous of Magnus, even if he wasn't with Alec anymore. Magnus still knew so much about Alec, and he had used to have the kind of connection with the raven haired boy that Jace longed for so desperately. Jace spotted Magnus already seated within the classroom their detention had been set in, and he was glaring at a pile of cleaning products. On the whiteboard was a detailed list of instructions on everything that needed to be scrubbed and tidied within the room, and Magnus groaned at the tasks, not yet aware of Jace's presence. Jace wasn't too put off by the 'punishment', as he was a bit of a neat freak himself, and so cleaning was something that came naturally to him, unlike most other teenage boys.

"Well, we'd better get started," Jace said as he dumped his bag on the floor and reached for a cloth to start cleaning the desks with.

Magnus jumped as Jace finally came within his line of sight, and he pursed his lips as he watched Jace start to work.

"Last time I checked I wasn't the only one who threw a punch, so get cleaning sparkles," Jace snapped at Magnus.

"I wouldn't take that tone with me, goldilocks," Magnus retorted, however he did also start to assist Jace with the cleaning.

"How about we just get through this without speaking, because I for one know that any more of this conversation and I might just hit you again," Jace said.

"Afraid what I might talk about?" Magnus said with a knowing look.

"What are you trying to say?" Jace asked as he stopped wiping down a desk and looked up at Magnus, who had also given up on the task, and was inspecting his nails.

"I just thought you might be worried I'd ask about your little crush on Alexander," Magnus replied.

Jace's eyes widened in shock, and he went to say something, but no quick retort came to him, so Jace's mouth simply hung open for a few moments before he regained himself.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jace said.

"Wow, what a witty response. I'm referring to the way you so obviously pine after Alec," Magnus said whilst smirking at Jace's horrified expression.

"That's ridiculous. You're just jealous that Alec doesn't want to spend any time with you anymore," Jace said.

"Oh, and do you think that's because he's suddenly going to fall madly in love with you?" Magnus asked, and he then laughed.

"No! That's just… why would you even think that?" Jace muttered.

"I see the looks you give him, when you think no one's watching. I notice the way you try and spend every free moment with him," Magnus said as he stepped closer to Jace, his stance becoming more threatening.

"None of that is true, we're just friends," Jace insisted, but Magnus ignored his words.

"Personally I think it's just sad, because that's all the two of you are, and will ever be," Magnus said. "Do you really think Alec will ever go for you?"

"Why do you even care?" Jace snapped, and he saw something pass over Magnus' face, that showed Jace he had struck a nerve.

"I'm just looking out for Alexander," Magnus said, but Jace could see there was more to it.

"No, there's something else…You feel threatened by me," Jace said as he realised just why Magnus was being so aggressive. "You're trying to scare me off."

"Oh please, don't flatter yourself, _I_ have nothing to be worried about," Magnus said.

"Then why try and get me to give up on liking Alec?" Jace asked.

"So you admit it then, you do like him," Magnus said.

"Why is it so important to you whether I like Alec or not?" Jace practically yelled, his patience slipping.

"Because I can see how much he likes you!" Magnus replied, looking completely shocked once he realised he'd said the words out loud.

"What?" Jace asked after a moment of silence, his voice now almost a whisper.

Magnus sighed and threw himself down into one of the chairs as he saw no way to get out of explaining himself.

"It's not just your behaviour I've noticed. I see the way Alec is around you, smiling, laughing, so openly happy. It probably doesn't seem like much to you, but Alec doesn't easily open up to people, but with you… he's so honest, so vulnerable. He lets you see him, how he really feels. Do you know how long it took me to get him to open up, just a little bit? I had to chase him for so long to even get him to acknowledge that he was attracted to me, and getting him to come out… I was with Alec for months, and yet you seem to have already learned more about him. Alec would only ever act like this if he _really_ liked someone, and judging by the way he can't keep his eyes off of you, I'd say that your feelings are requited," Magnus said.

Jace slowly sat down as Magnus spoke, taking in everything he was saying, and trying to think back on how Alec acted around him. He was never even remotely flirtatious, although Jace presumed that wasn't really in his nature, but he had told Jace a lot about himself, including some especially painful details.

"So Jace, I'm going to ask you again whether or not you like Alec, because I will not see him get hurt by harboring feelings for someone who will never return the gesture," Magnus said, his voice sounding almost defeated.

"Yes… yes of course I like Alec, how could I not? I don't know how it all started, I didn't even know I was interested in guys before I met Alec, but he's different somehow. He's just so…He's the kindest and most selfless person I've ever met, and I always feel like I can trust him, and with my past that's a miracle. I've never really had that feeling of stability, but when I'm with Alec I forget all the shit that's happened, and it's suddenly just about what I'm feeling in that moment. Because how can the world be so cruel when Alec's there to help me with anything from maths to confessing my past?" Jace said, and as he continued to speak he started to forget Magnus was even there.

Jace had been holding all of his feelings in for so long in an attempt to repress them he hadn't quite realised how fond he was of Alec, and what an influence the Lightwood had become in his life.

"So yes, I have feelings for Alec, and I haven't said or done anything because I know that I'm too attached to him to ever be able to accept that he doesn't feel the same way. I don't usually let myself feel so strongly, but with Alec…Well, as I already said, he's different, in all the right ways, and I would give anything to know he feels the same way," Jace said, only stopping his confession as he heard something behind him.

Jace had forgotten the door to the room was even open, and he hardly gave a second thought to what he'd heard until he turned his head and saw none other than Alexander Lightwood gaping at him in shock.

**A/N** Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter, and I promise the next one will be up soon.


	10. Chapter 10

"Alec…How much did you hear?" Jace asked in alarm as he stood and faced the stunned boy in the hallway.

Alec inhaled as if he were about to speak, but instead he furrowed his brow, and after shooting Jace one last exasperated look, Alec turned and fled from the room.

"Alec, wait!" Jace called after Alec, but he was already gone.

Jace raked his fingers through his hair as he tried to think of what to do, and as he did so Magnus looked at him with contempt.

"Well…there goes that. Alexander has never been very good at dealing with surprises," Magnus said, and his voice snapped Jace out of his trance of panic.

"No, I can still fix this," Jace said, and without a second glance he ran after Alec.

It didn't take Jace long to catch up with Alec, as the other boy had stopped to lean against a wall not too far away from the room. He still appeared stunned, especially to see that Jace had followed him, but he no longer looked horrified, just unsure of what was going on.

"Alec, I'm not sure how much you heard…" Jace said, and eventually Alec answered him.

"I heard…enough," Alec said, his voice sounding far away.

"I'm not going to say what I said isn't true, because it is. I can understand if…if you don't feel the same way…and if this causes problems for our friendship…but I won't take back what I said, because I meant every word," Jace said, deciding he may as well let it all out.

If there were ever an opportunity for Jace to discover if his crush was a useless waste of emotion, or if what Magnus had said about Alec was true, this was it, and Jace had to take his chance. As Alec remained silent Jace felt his brain start to run at a million miles an hour again, and he suddenly felt the desperate need to end the heavy silence between the two.

"Please say something, I need to know how you feel about this. I know that this is unexpected, and I'm supposed to be straight, trust me I'm just as shocked about all of this as you are, but since the second I met you I haven't been able to get you out of my head…and a lot of the time I've wanted nothing more that to stop thinking about you in _that_ way, but I-"

Jace's words were suddenly cut off as Alec stood up straight and stepped forward to remove the distance between him and Jace. Alec was standing so close that Jace could feel his breath against his face, and he slowly leant forward and kissed Alec. His movements were careful, every second waiting for rejection, and the kiss was just the gentlest brush of lips, but still it made Jace's heart stammer as he was finally acting upon his desires. As Jace went to draw back, unsure of Alec's thoughts, he felt Alec place a hand on his shoulder and this time it was the raven haired boy who leant in and kissed Jace. There was more passion in this kiss, and Jace immediately responded as he practically melted into Alec, wanting to touch and have all of him at once. Jace's hands, as if they had a mind of their own, tangled themselves into Alec's soft hair, and he tugged slightly, earning a soft moan from Alec, which only spurred Jace on further. Alec's hands settled on Jace's hips, pulling him closer, and Jace felt as if a jolt of electricity was running through him just at Alec's touch. He wanted so much more, but all too soon Alec pulled away, leaving Jace breathing heavily.

"Wow…I guess this means you're not too freaked out," Jace said, still trying to decipher how Alec felt about the whole situation.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," Alec said softly, disbelief clear in his voice. "I just presumed I was being stupid, liking someone who was so obviously never going to be interested in me, so I tried to ignore my feelings. I felt so guilty, that the whole time we were friends I also thought of you as more, and I just hoped that these feelings would go away, because there's no reason why you would ever look twice at me."

Jace stared at Alec in incomprehension as he spoke, startled by how similar his and Alec's thought processes had been since they'd met each other.

"Alec, you're probably the best person I've ever met, how could I not be interested in you? The real question is why you'd like a fuck up like me, but we can address that later. Right now I think we should make up for lost time. My detention is technically over, if you wanted to get out of here…" Jace replied.

"Okay, you're place is probably better…My sister is going to be impossible after she finds out about all of this," Alec said.

"Let's get out of here," Jace said as he made his way back to the room to pick up his stuff, instantly relieved when he saw that at some point Magnus had made himself scarce.

"Sounds good. Oh, and Jace…" Alec said.

"Yes?"

"You're not a fuck up. You are so far from it."

"Maybe if you spend enough time with me I'll start to believe that," Jace said as he shot Alec one of his most dazzling grins, and practically dragged Alec to the car park so they could back to Jace's apartment, as he was eager to be with Alec without any influence from outside influences.

"Where do you want to go from here?" Alec asked, blunt as ever.

Jace threw himself down on his couch and gestured for Alec to follow suit. Alec had never actually been to Jace's apartment, as few people ever had, and he now took in the place. He was expecting the place to look like more of a general mess, and yet again Alec was surprised by the order and neatness Jace applied to his life.

"You're always told to keep tidy in foster homes, because they're doing you a favour, taking care of you. Some habits stick," Jace explained as he saw Alec's expression. "And what do you mean?"

"Well, you and me…what do you, ummm, well, what do you want?" Alec asked, his shyness suddenly resurfacing as his self doubt started to show.

"I thought I made it pretty clear that I want to be with you Alec," Jace said as Alec finally sat down, but refused to make eye contact with Jace.

"I don't know how to say this but… how _open_ do you want us to be, with everyone?" Alec asked.

Jace suddenly realised the source of Alec's timid behaviour, and he took Alec's hand as he spoke again.

"Alec, why would I not want to tell people we're together? I know it's probably going to a bit unexpected, but anyone who has a problem will just have to deal with it," Jace stated confidentially.

"So, we are together then?" Alec asked as he finally let his gaze meet Alec's.

"Yes, Alec, after all of this time we are _finally_ together."

**A/N** Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I know a lot of you have been waiting for this moment. As always, please review, and again there may be some M rated behaviour in the next chapter…


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